Daily Archives: May 14, 2018

Post navigation

Surface broadcasting of nitrogen (N) fertilizers has become popular to increase operational efficiency – increasing the speed of seeding and reducing risk of seed injury. But, in a dry spring with limited rain prospects, growers may choose not to till and avoid further drying out seedbeds. Then growers must consider the risks of nitrogen volatilization loss and take precautions when risk is high.

Volatilization of ammonia (NH3) from urea or the urea portion of UAN (28-0-0) affected by several factors and can be increased under specific situations.

For more details on the risk factors and ways to minimize losses, see full .pdf

More topics on soil fertility can be found on Manitoba Agriculture’s Soil Fertility webpages.

There is no single best way to fertilize corn in Manitoba. The 4 most common N application methods are spring broadcast and incorporated, fall banded, banded at seeding and preplant banded.

In a dry spring like 2018, broadcasting and incorporating fertilizer before seeding, risk drying out the seedbed. Many farmers, especially on clay-textured soils prefer not to disturb their seedbed in the spring and so prefer to fall band their N. And although spring preplant banding is a very efficient way to place nutrients for a corn crop, it comes with some particular cautions – thinning and seedling injury.

With a lack of seedbed moisture, there are justified concerns about seedplaced fertilizer injury to canola and other crops. How safe is sidebanded nitrogen? Research studies by Dr. Cindy Grant documented considerable canola stand thinning when high rates of sidebanded urea or UAN solution were applied. Agrotain (AT) served to reduce stand injury, but is no longer supported for this use by the manufacturer.

Points:

Stands were thinned at even modest N rates, on a clay loam soil. At high rates stands were reduced to 50%

Crop growth compensated for reduced stands and generally produced as good a yield as the Agrotain protected stands, except at the highest rate.

For more detailed analysis and discussion on the issue see the full .pdf

More topics on soil fertility can be found on Manitoba Agriculture’s Soil Fertility webpages.

Spring 2018 has brought many questions about seedplaced fertilizer rates for canola. Several factors are causing concern:

Drier soils – which increase the risk of seed toxicity

Desire to apply sufficient P to meet crop removal – since many fields have seen decreasing P levels due to high yield. P removal is about 1 lb P2O5/bu, so high yield potential fields are looking at high P replacement rates.

Increased use in low disturbance, low seedbed utilization (SBU) drills. Many new openers are arriving on the scene, which are “close-to-seed” sidebanding for which one may need to consider as seedplaced.

Desire by growers to reduce seeding rates for cost savings. Most research studies investigating seedplaced fertilizer injury were seeded at some 150 seed/m2, about double what some farmers are now targeting.

For more detailed analysis on the issue, see the full text in .pdf format

Post navigation

Reference material

Diseases: New clubroot cases have been confirmed in the Rural Municipalities of Lorne and Dufferin. Insects: Scouting for bertha armyworm continues with some reports of insecticide applications. Spider mites being noticed in some soybean fields. Grasshopper populations are variable. For full report see Insect & Disease Report – August 1, 2018

Crops are advancing rapidly with the warm and dry conditions. Rain is needed in most areas to sustain crops and replenish soil moisture. Harvested has started in winter cereals, barley, and peas. Swathing or pre-harvest applications have started in early seeded spring cereals and canola. Fist cut hay is nearing completion; yields are below normal. […]

Diseases: The second case of clubroot in canola this year has been reported. Disease surveys in soybean and wheat are ongoing and disease levels are low overall. Insects: Overall insect concerns in field crops are relatively low. There are still some areas where grasshopper levels are being watched. Spider mite levels are being monitored in some soybean fields in […]

Disease – Goss’s wilt was observed near St. Claude. Insects – Grasshopper populations are being monitored in and around the edges of some fields. Armyworms have been noticed in some cereal fields in the Central and Eastern regions. No soybean aphids have been reported yet. For more details and information see http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/seasonal-reports/manitoba-insect-and-disease-update-2018-07-11.html

Archives

News releases

Favourable weather and field conditions have allowed seeding operations to begin, with a provincial estimate of <5% of the 2017 crop seeded. For the full crop report, see on-line at http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/seasonal-reports/crop-report-archive/crop-report-2017-05-01.html

The Guide to Crop Protection provides information on the use of herbicides, fungicides and insecticides for control of weeds, plant diseases and insects. This publication is only a guide. Always refer to the product label for application details and precautions. It is available: online at https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/guides-and-publications/#gfcp. Individual sections on Weed Control, Plant Disease Control and Insect […]

Did you know you can view the 2017 edition of Seed Manitoba, as well as past editions, on www.seedmb.ca? Well, you can! Flip-view digital editions of the current guide (2017), as well as the six most recent editions, are available at http://www.seedmb.ca/digital-edition/. Also, full PDF versions are available at http://www.seedmb.ca/digital-edition/pdf-editions-and-separate-section-pdfs/ where you can download the entire […]

http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/plant-diseases/clubroot-distribution-in-manitoba.html Map shows positive clubroot findings by Rural Municipality, discovered through laboratory testing for presence of clubroot spores in soil and/or positive confirmation of clubroot symptomatic plants. Testing was done from 2009-2014 and is still considered limited. Positive findings have been at low spore concentrations and sporadic throughout the province. As more fields are sampled, the map will be updated. As less than […]